Tuesday, January 20, 2009

A prayer for President Obama

Powerful living God, My prayer for our new president is for wisdom, justice and integrity guided by compassion. Grant him wise counselors but more than that grant him knowledge that only You can give. Grant to him compassion for those who are suffering and strength of character to act on that compassion. May he be liberated from the idea that tolerance for others trumps acceptance by you. May he have the wisdom to spend time with you daily and to make that time a priority. May he take your example of leadership and guide our nation through a difficult season. In the Powerful name of Jesus I pray,Amen

I wrote this prayer today for our new President. Not because I voted for him or because I didn't but because no matter how I voted, God has allowed his election. You or I may disagree with the Lord's direction there, but it has transpired nonetheless. Therefore, my calling, according to Romans 13, is to pray for him faithfully, just like I did for President Bush, President Clinton, President Bush before him, President Reagan, President Carter and President Ford (sorry - that's as far as I go back! :-) ) In this same vein, I found a piece I wanted to include today. Below, is a portion of the column from syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher about another prayer. Please read it carefully and ask the Lord to deliver us from this type of nonsense.

"Watching President-elect Obama laboriously attempt to assemble the most inclusive prayer team ever (a woman, a gay bishop and a Baptist preacher -- isn't there a joke like that?), one has to feel anew our enduring need of divine assistance in holding together this war-weary and culture-war-torn great nation. Episcopalian Bishop V. Gene Robinson, who [prayed] at President-elect Obama's request on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, has been reading through inaugural prayers in history. He is 'horrified' at how 'specifically and aggressively Christian they were,' according to The New York Times. Yes, it is true that even back in 1953, Father Patrick O'Boyle prayed, 'In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost' (alongside a prayer by Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver). At FDR's 1945 inaugural, Monsignor John Ryan prayed, 'In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ... Through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Oh, the horror of it all! Bishop Robinson may have inadvertently relieved some folks' minds by making it clear that his prayer 'will not be a Christian prayer and I won't be quoting Scripture or anything like that.' Robinson is ruminating on alternatives such as praying to 'the God of our many understandings,' a language he said he learned during his stint in alcohol rehab. Perhaps in the future, taking Christian pity on the poor Michael Newdows of the world, presidential prayers can be re-addressed: To Whom It May Concern." --columnist Maggie Gallagher

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